Should I fill up the W-8Ben form?

How to fill in the (late) tax return form when I'm not self-employed?

• I was sent a tax return request and I didn't fill in as I was employed (hence paid tax) until end Feb 2010 and the rest of the tax period (March-April) I was on holiday. I know by fact P800 what I was notified I overpaid tax and was given the difference paid back in December, so I don't need to pay any more tax for this period. Yet, I need to send the form as I was requested for whatever reason by HM custom... Now I'm at a loss how to fill in the form.. Could someone tell me which form and section I need to fill in? I have P45 showing my net taxable income and tax paid for the period Apr 2009 to Feb 2010, is this the only amount I need to fill in? Any other section? and is there a designated space for my explanation of my situation? Also, should I pay the late fine £100 now anyway to avoid more penalty while I submit and hope they will return this fine when they decide that I in fact have no more tax due? Thank you very much, I appreciate this site so much than calling very expensive 0845 helpline which will take me 30min to get through! Best regards,

• Answer:

  Look up the online site - sort out registration, your UTR and your passwords. Then fill in and submit the tax return - take your time - it isn't very hard. Do not pay the penalty just yet - assuming you have told the truth here there should be no liability and so the penalty will be reduced to nil. The penalty is the lesser of £100 or the liabilty revealed on the tax reurn. You would need to explicitlly state you was not earning or signing on if asked.